Should teachers have guns available at school to ward off an armed assailant?

That's what President Donald Trump, the National Rifle Association and others are calling for after a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

After bringing up the notion of arming teachers in a town hall meeting with the survivors of the Parkland shooting last week, President Trump tweeted Saturday that states should allow teachers who are "firearms adept" to get annual training and bonuses so that "shootings will not happen again."

Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them. Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.

Still, Democrats panned the idea, with Democratic gubernatorial candidates Dennis Kucinich, the former congressman, and former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray calling instead for more stringent gun laws.

And many school teachers hated the proposal. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a press release that teachers want to teach and "would never have the expertise needed to be ... sharp shooters; no amount of training can prepare an armed teacher to go up against an AR-15."

Few advocates of arming teachers talked about the costs, which could be astronomical. The Washington Post estimated firearms training for 20 percent of the nation's teachers -- a figure suggested by Trump at the town hall meeting -- at anywhere from $71.8 million to $718 million depending on the comprehensiveness of the training. And those figures don't include actually arming teachers. The popular Glock G17 semi-automatic pistol can cost about $500 each, the Post reported.

So what do you think? Can this nation combat gun violence at schools by giving teachers guns or are there better ideas? The editorial board roundtable offers a sampling of views; we look forward to reading yours in the comments.

Sharon Broussard, chief editorial writer, cleveland.com: Gun violence can't be solved by more gun violence. If we put guns in schools, let's prepare ourselves for all the violence that comes from easy access to guns -- accidental shootings, unjustified shootings and even suicides by unstable employees -- all more likely to occur than the appearance of a school shooter. Universal background checks, banning assault rifles and other measures are far smarter ways to end violence in schools and beyond.

Ted Diadiun, editorial board member: Reactions to this idea break down into two categories: Those who are courageously offering themselves as potential solutions to the problem, and those whose only lame response is ridicule. This country is full of competent people who are comfortable around guns and adept at handling and firing them. Many of these are teachers, coaches and other school employees. They have been through training and own their own weapons. Encouraging them to carry in school might have saved lives in every school shooting that has occurred. I have zero problem with President Trump's suggestion.

Thomas Suddes, editorial writer: This is another one of those dodge 'em ideas. That is, these officeholders don't want to face the real issue, the proliferation of massacre-capable weapons, and the ease of obtaining them. Instead, they propose a policy dodge, a deflection -- armed teachers. The attorney general has been in public office more or less continuously since 1977, the lieutenant governor for roughly 20 years. You'd think they'd have more respect for Ohio voters than to propound such a useless idea.

Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, cleveland.com: Arming teachers is an idea that's already flopped in Ohio. The state allows educators to be armed. Has there been a stampede to do so? No. Teachers by and large want to be teachers, not police officers. The Parkland, Florida shooting demonstrated that even officers of the law assigned to protect schools from disturbed shooters armed with high-powered semi-automatic rifles aren't adequately trained, equipped and supervised for this task. Hardening school access should be a top priority, followed by upgrades in training, procedures and weaponry for those law enforcement officers assigned to school security.

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